Heo rallies from behind to beat world No. 1 Jo Myung-woo 50-45 in final; claims third national title this year
Heo Jeong-han of the South Gyeongsang Province Billiards Federation defeated world No. 1 Jo Myung-woo of the Seoul Metropolitan Government team to claim the men's 3-cushion title at the 2026 Namwon National Billiards Championship.
Heo beat Jo 50-45 in the carom 3-cushion men's final held Saturday at Namwon Sports Town in Namwon, North Jeolla Province, capturing his third career title at the tournament.
The all-national-team final was fiercely contested from start to finish. Jo seized the momentum midway through, pulling ahead 30-25, but Heo refused to buckle. He leveled the score at 30-30 with consecutive points, then turned the tables and stretched his lead to 37-32. Jo fought back, clawing all the way to 44-44 to reset the match. In the end, however, it was Heo who held his nerve, calmly building his score in the decisive stretch to close out a 50-45 victory.
Heo was composed throughout the bracket. He opened the round of 16 with a dominant 40-11 win over Choi Ho-ta of the South Jeolla Province Billiards Federation in just 16 innings, then edged Song Hyeon-il of the Ansan City Sports Council 50-47 in a grueling 40-inning quarterfinal. In the semifinals, he dispatched Lee Beom-yeol of the Siheung City Sports Council 50-39 in 35 innings to advance to the final. Having navigated both blowouts and tight battles, Heo brought the same trademark focus to the final to seal the title. Lee Jeong-hui and Lee Beom-yeol, both of the Siheung City Sports Council, shared third place.
Heo has been in strong form on the domestic circuit this season. After winning the 2024 Namwon National Billiards Championship, he reignited his career with a victory at this year's Gukto Jungangbae — his first major title in roughly two years. He then finished runner-up at the Andong Mayor's Cup and won the Jindo Arirang Cup before adding this Namwon title, giving him four top finishes in four national tournaments this year: three wins and one runner-up.
This victory carried particular significance for Heo. Having won the Namwon event in 2023 and 2024, he now holds three career titles at the tournament. By beating the heavily favored Jo in the final, he again proved his strength on the Namwon stage.
"Beating Jo Myung-woo, the world No. 1 with such powerful attacking play, makes this win all the more meaningful," Heo said after the victory. "At one point in the middle of the match the gap had grown to nearly 10 points, but I cleared my mind and told myself to just focus on what I could do. That calm approach led to a run of points and helped me take control of the match."
He added: "After scoring at 44, when the position set up for a reverse shot, I thought, 'I might be able to ride this all the way to the end.' Billiards is my profession, so I go into every tournament with the mindset of giving my absolute best."
yjc@heraldcorp.com
